The highly mobile nature of WA’s population is being blamed for increased rates of HIV infection in the state over the past decade.

The number of West Australians diagnosed with HIV has more than doubled in 10 years, with 119 new cases reported last year, slightly down from a high of 121 the previous year.

Speaking at the HIV and Mobile Populations conference in Perth, acting director general of the Health Department, Bryan Stokes, said the rising infection rate was partly because of the mobile nature of the WA population.

This included travel to South-East Asia for business and pleasure, the prevalence of fly-in, fly-out workers (FIFO), the high number of people coming to the state to live and work, and the scattered nature of rural and remote towns.

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Dr Stokes said WA’s pattern of HIV infection was more complicated than those of other states.

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Senior research fellow at the Australian research Centre for Sex, Health and Society Graham Brown said WA’s resource boom was a significant contributing factor.

“HIV and issues of mobility became more evident in WA in the lead up to and during the resource boom,” he said.

“When the community has a resource boom, there is more money and there is more travel generally.”

However, he said it was not all about FIFO workers.

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Dr Brown said those contracting HIV overseas were usually older, more experienced travellers who did not consider themselves at risk.